Garden-Tips-4uTips and Ideas for Growing Your Garden

When growing vegetables in the garden most people tend to grow the same crops year after year.
This is not surprising really, as we grow the crops that we prefer to eat and we also tend to grow the plants that we have the most success growing.

One thing that most gardeners seem to do is grow the same vegetables in the very same place in the garden each year.

You will tend to have a spot for your tomatoes and a spot for your pumpkins and so on.

The problem with planting the same crops in the same place each year is the effect it has on the nutrients in the soil.

Plants will extract the nutrients that they need from the soil for their specific requirements each season.
By planting the same crops in the same places you can get nutrient deficiencies.

This is where crop rotation can enhance the value of your soil.
By rotating where you plant your vegetables each season you will be giving the soil the opportunity to produce better results as there won’t be the same demands on the nutrients in the soil when there is a different plant growing their from last season.

To improve the soil quality even more, you should dig in the remains of the crops once the season has finished allowing some of those nutrients to be put back into the soil.
In the off-season you can also grow cover crops in the garden.
These are crops that are grown specifically to add nitrogen to the soil.
These crops have high nitrogen value in their roots and when they are ready, you dig them into the soil.

In doing this you can expect a better harvest each year as the new planting of vegetables will have more nutrients to feed them.

Have you ever considered a potager?

You can have the best of both worlds with a potager when you essentially have your cake and eat it too.
With a potager you have your garden and eat it too.

Potagers are particularly good for people who live on smaller lots of land or only have room for a small garden.
They are also great for people who just don’t have the time to tend a larger garden but like to have some color in their yard and fresh vegetables at the same time.

So what is a potager?
Well some people have different definitions of what a potager is supposed to be and this ranges from an organized display vegetable garden to a combination of edible plants and display plants.

Essentially a potager is making use of the colors and textures of vegetables to create a colorful display garden with the added benefit of being able to eat the plants within, and that is why it is considered the ultimate garden by some.
It is pleasing to the eye and the stomach.

With many flowers finding their way into salads and other forms of foods as people become aware of the fact that they are edible, the potager has become more popular in recent years.

By adding sculptures, pots, specimen trees and anything else that you would add to a normal flower garden, the potager can become a focal point in any garden and your vegetables no longer need to be hidden away out of sight in some other part of your property.

Most potagers are grown in raised beds that allow better control over the drainage and reduce the chance of the vegetables from becoming waterlogged.

By planning in a structured manner and in close proximity to one another the colors of the plants and the combinations of one group contrasting another can make a display that will rival any flower garden.

It can be quite an exciting challenge to create an eye-catching potager.
Try it and you might become hooked.

There are many ways that you can add interest to a garden.
Anything that becomes a focal point will add interest and that can range from garden sculptures to the types of plants you choose.

Adding block planting of a particular specimen can become a focal point in the garden.
Even adding areas of variegated foliage can create a focal point in the garden.

Seats are another item that can add interest to the garden and additionally they can offer a nice place to rest and relax while you admire your work.

Mirrors that are strategically placed can enhance the garden in many ways.
They can bring reflected light to dark corners of the garden.
They can also give the impression that the garden is bigger or alternatively they can give the impression that the open space is bigger.

Placed at various angles, mirrors can add a lot of fun and interest to a garden and help to lead a visitor on to other areas.

Using hedges can also add interest to the garden while offering protection to the plants.
Hedges are also an excellent way to gain privacy without feeling closed in.

Water features are a favorite for many people and the sound of running water in the corner of a garden can add an atmosphere of calm and relaxation.

Water features can also be good for the birds in the garden particularly in the summer months when they might find it difficult to find water lying around to suit their needs.

As with sculptures, stones, rocks and pebbles can add interest and offer areas where you can walk even when the surrounding ground might be too wet.
Shells also make a good cover on the ground for paths that can remain dry in the wet season.

There are so many different things that you put in your garden to add interest.
Everything from old cartwheels to wind chimes, aviaries or anything else you can imagine.